Invasive Species Threaten the Success of Climate Change Adaptation Efforts

Abstract: Across the nation, climate change must be addressed not only through direct mitigation and adaptation, but also through strategic mitigation of threats to the success of those actions. Invasive species are a significant threat to climate preparedness and resilience —their impacts fundamentally alter natural and built systems, reducing society’s ability to adapt to a changing climate. Broad-scale changes to federal priorities and paradigms surrounding climate change actions, from the perspective of invasive species management, are needed to achieve success. Failures to systematically integrate invasive species into these approaches will slow or even prevent meeting climate adaptation goals.